Jongosi
Jongosi is the Hilton Arts Festival’s dedicated youth programme – a vibrant, immersive arts experience designed to ignite curiosity, creativity, and confidence in young minds.
Taking place on the opening day of the festival, Jongosi welcomes over 2,000 learners from across KwaZulu-Natal and beyond, offering them a rare opportunity to engage with world-class theatre, music, art and performance in a professional festival environment.
For many of these learners, Jongosi is more than just a day out, it is their first encounter with live performing arts. It is a moment of discovery. A spark.
A Day of Discovery
Each Jongosi experience is carefully curated to be age-appropriate, inspiring, and impactful. Learners attend a programme of performances, workshops, and interactive sessions designed to:
- Encourage imagination and creative thinking
- Build confidence and self-expression
- Foster emotional intelligence and empathy
- Expose learners to new ideas, stories, and perspectives
From laughter-filled theatre productions to thought-provoking storytelling, Jongosi creates a safe and exciting space where young people can explore who they are and who they might become.
Why It Matters
In a world that is increasingly fast, digital, and demanding, the arts offer something essential – space to think, feel, imagine, and connect.
Jongosi is about more than performance.
It is about building better humans.
By nurturing creativity, confidence, and critical thinking, Jongosi contributes to the development of young people who are not only academically capable, but emotionally aware, expressive, and inspired.
Inspiring the Next Generation
Be Part of the Journey
Whether as a school, sponsor, or partner, there are many ways to be part of Jongosi.
Together, we can ensure that more young people have access to the transformative power of the arts, and that the next generation grows up with stories, creativity, and possibility at the heart of their world.
To book your school or group into Jongosi
